Criminal Justice Education Through Distance Learning

The criminal justice field is wide open with opportunities for those who wish to grow within the ranks. One requirement, however, for most of these positions is that the applicant should posses an associate’s degree or beyond. There are many different sources available for obtaining said degree. There are the options of technical schools, community colleges, and universities. Unfortunately for many people today the rigorous demands of campus life and hectic schedules are not compatible with a nontraditional educational experience.

This can especially be the case with those who currently work in the criminal justice field. With long hours and little time to devote to just as long classroom hours a degree may be out of the question for those who have only considered these traditional forms of education. Today though there is an option available that many have yet to consider. What was once considered to be one of the only other opportunities available, correspondence courses have received a much needed face lift and a renewed lease on life.

Now known as distance education, these courses can be taken in the comfort of one’s own home and at a pace that is determined by their individual needs. One advantage to today’s distance learning courses is that many of the old manila envelopes that once had to be mailed in have since been replaced by email tests and Internet based learning. A person new to the field can acquire any degree necessary, be it an associate’s all the way up to the doctoral level. Another benefit to the distance educational opportunities available today is the ability to apply any existing college credits to the course in order to shorten the amount of work necessary. This is accomplished by cutting out all lessons that are considered repetitive.

No matter what level of education one is pursuing there is a distance educational opportunity tailored to suit their exact needs. Be it a current police officer seeking his associate’s degree in criminal justice in order to get a promotion, or a probational officer looking at gaining his master’s in order to be promoted to upper management, the courses are available from a number of online distance education providers. One has only to run a search based on the level of education for which they are searching.

A major advantage of the distance education courses is the speed at which one can complete the degree programs. Criminal justice degrees that once took more than four years can now be completed in just two to three. These nontraditional students can accomplish this feet while still working as well which makes them a huge draw to people that are supporting a family. No matter whether they are called distance education courses or just correspondence courses, the end result is the same. They allow individuals to gain an edge in the job market that they didn’t have.